JV wins £292m A14 upgrade scheme

21/09/2015 Highways Reporters

A Balfour Beatty/Carillion joint venture has been selected to deliver a £292 million construction package to upgrade the A14 between Swavesey and Milton as part of the wider A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme.

The JV has been selected by Highways England to upgrade the A14 between Swavesey and Milton.

The 50:50 Balfour Beatty Carillion joint venture has been selected for the construction package to widen a critical and complex 10-mile stretch of the existing A14. Works, which will take place in a live-traffic environment, will include the widening of existing road sections between Swavesey to Girton, including the Girton junction with the M11 motorway and the Cambridge Northern Bypass. The project will also require major junction rebuilds and numerous services diversions.

The wider Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, to which the government has pledged a £1.5 billion investment, is subject to statutory approval.

Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty group chief executive, said: “This is a complex project and our joint venture brings proven expertise and experience in working as part of an integrated delivery model – something which is going to be crucial for the successful delivery of this project.

“The improvements the scheme will deliver will help to relieve congestion on one of the busiest parts of the strategic road network between the Midlands and East Anglia and support national and regional economic growth.”

Chris Taylor, director for complex infrastructure at Highways England, leading the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, said: “This award is another step closer to our commitment to deliver the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. Now all three joint-venture contractors are on-board, they will work collaboratively to finalise the pre-construction planning, to deliver the excellence that our customers and stakeholders expect of us.

The contract has been awarded under Highways England’s Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF).

Subject to the outcome of the development consent order examination by the Planning Inspectorate, and to the Transport Secretary’s decision regarding Highways England’s development consent order application, the proposed scheme is on target for main construction work to start in late 2016. The new bypass and widened A14 would open to traffic in 2020.